Iseael schlegel



(N0 Medel.) I. SOHLEGEL.

TONGUE SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

No. 335,313. Patented Feb. 2, 1886..

WITNESSES "WE/VT H @aM' WZXZ N. PETERS, PhnXv-Lllhogrnphu r. Washingmn,D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICLs ISRAEL SCHLEGEL, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS,ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO THOMAS PARKINSON, OF SAME PLACE.

TONGUE-SUPPORT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,313, dated February2', 1886.

Application filed October 30, 1885. Serial No. 181,372. (No model.)

I To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISRAEL SCHLEGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at T0- peka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in XVagon-TongueSupporters,- and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of devices known astongue-supporters, and is intended to provide a device which willrelieve the horses necks of the strain caused by the weight of thetongue, and will also serve to prevent the jolting and jerking of thetongue caused by the unevenness of the roads.

It consists in certain novel features, hereinafter fully described, andspecifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the device as applied to a wagon-tongue.Fig. 2 is a view of the supporter detached. Fig. 3 shows in detail theblock to which the lower end of the supporter is secured; and Fig. 4shows in detail the knee-brace, which is secured to the under side ofthe tongue.

A represents the tongue; A, the hounds, and A the axle. To the underside of the tongue I secure a knee-brace, B, which is composed of asingle plate of metal bent at right angles, so as to provide the arm B,which lies fiat against the under side of the tongue, and the arm Bdepending therefrom. The arm B is provided with holes B B", throughwhich I insert screws, which enter the tongue and secure the knee-bracethereto. Near the forward end of the arm B, I provide the pin 13*, whichenters a suitable notch provided on the under side of theQtongue, andaids in holding the knee-brace in position, as will be understood. Thedepending arm B of the knee-brace is provided with an opening, B thepurposes of which will be more fully hereinafter described.

A retaining-plate, 0, provided with ears 0 O, is secured to the axle byscrews in serted through the holes 0 0*, as will be understood. The ears0 G are made integral with the plate 0, and are placed a proper distance apart midway the ends thereof. The tongue-supporter shaft ispivotally secured between these cars by a bolt, 0", passed throughsuitable bolt-holes therein, as shown. The tonguesupporter shaft D isheld by and be tween the retaining-plate O and the kneebrace B. A

The lower end of the tongue-supporter shaft is pivotally secured betweenthe ears 0 O, as before stated. The upper end of the shaft is passedthrough the opening B in the depending arm B of the knee-brace B. Thelower end of the shaft D is flattened,so as to fit easily between theears 0 0. It is made cylindrical throughout the rest of its length, butits diameter is diminished at its upper end, as shown. This smallerportion, D, is inserted through the opening B and plays therein in theoperation of the device.

The outer end of the portion D is provided with anut, D and between thenut D and the arm B, I place around the shaft a coiled spring, D Theshaft D is not made on a straight line, but it is bent down at nearly aright angle and up at an acute angle, as shown at D". The main portion Dof the shaft D is screw threaded, and two nuts, D D are placed thereon.Between these nuts and the arm B of the knee-brace, around the shaft 1)I place the coil-spring D Where so desired, a washer can be placedbetween the nuts D and the spring D.

The operation of my device will be readily understood. The tongue israised to the position which it is desired to occupy, and the nuts D Dadjusted until the tension of the spring D is sufficient to support it.\Vhen the wagon is being drawn along the road, the ruts and otherunevennesses of the ground will cause the pole or tongue to swing up anddown. The tendency of the spring I) will be to increase or exaggeratethis up or down motion. The spring D will counterbalance this tendencyof the spring D and the motion of the tongue will be decreased.

In practice it has been found that the ordinary straight tonguesupporter tended to throw the under side of the axle around back ward,and the hounds would be thrown up against the perch and the parts lockedtogether and weakened and often broken. By bending the lower end of theshaft D, as shown, I throw the line of pressure against the center ofthe axle, and it is thereby kept in its proper'position.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In a wagon-tongue supporter substautially as herein shown anddescribed, a supporter-shaft pivotally secured at its lower end to aretainingplate fastened to the wagonaxle, and having its upper endsupported by a knee-brace secured to the under side of the tongue, saidsupporting-shai't being bent down regulating the tension of the largerspring,

substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\Vitnesses: ISRAEL SCHLEGEL.

THOMAS PARKINSON, WM. OSTERLOH.

